Hawa, A Patient’s Story

Good News Travels Fast Through Niche Communities

Did you know that Somali is one of the top five languages spoken by Mountain Park Health Center patients? Our Gateway Clinic lies in an area with a large Somali population. In order to provide quality care, we make sure our clinics have staff who speak many languages—some of them speaking up to seven—to assist providers, staff and patients, making communication a stress-free task for everyone.

Hawa Guled is a mother. Parents can relate to her many sleepless nights caring for her children, packing lunches, making sure homework is done and doing everyday chores around the house. Hawa is also a Mountain Park mom and has been bringing her children to us for two years.

Dr. William Van Arsdell is loved by all of his patients.

“One of my neighbors told me about Mountain Park,” Hawa said. “She has seven kids and you know what she told me? She told me to go see Dr. Van because he is the best doctor. When I heard that I felt happy and at ease, and I knew that I would be taking my kids to Dr. Van.”

Whether it’s an amazing new restaurant that opened down the street, or a caring doctor, news travels fast through word of mouth. Hawa’s friend shared the word about a community clinic down the street and Hawa continues to do the same.

“I tell everyone to come here,” she said. “We are very happy when we come here. Everyone is so welcoming and caring.”

As a busy mom of six kids Hawa doesn’t have much time to be running from her doctor to the lab, to the dietary specialists and back to her primary care physician for follow up appointments. Hawa only has so much time in her day and Mountain Park’s whole patient care model was the perfect fit for her and her family.

In a recent visit, Hawa came to us because her son was sick. We referred her to our on-site laboratory to have his blood checked. The result: low iron levels.

Our medical assistants are there for our doctors to help every step of the way.

“After the lab results came back we were referred to a dietician that was in the same building,” Hawa said.

Convenience at its finest.

In addition to language access, an on-site nutritionist and laboratory, Hawa has never had to worry about transportation.

Mountain Park solved that obstacle for her by setting up a ride to and from the clinic where she could receive all the services she needed. Not many facilities can say they do that. Picking favorites isn’t fair, but we all have them. In addition to Dr. Van, Hawa and her family have received a lot of assistance and support from Lina Ali, our Somali Case Manager.

“Lina is number one, the first person who was there to help translate,” she said. “I’m thankful for her.”

Everyone at Mountain Park works together to make patients feel comfortable. Lina and Dr. Van are a part of our family and family always comes first. No matter where our patients come from, no matter the language they speak or the color of their skin, we are here to help our patients get the best affordable care possible from doctors like Dr. Van.

“Dr. Van, I’m so grateful for you. Thank you for taking care of my two kids. If another baby comes along you will be the doctor,” Hawa said chuckling.